The Book
by onmyside
Summary: Lady Mary asks Carson to read a book to her but the title and the name of the heroine are a bit too distracting...
1. Chapter 1

_A/C This was inspired by a picture posted on tumblr earlier today and the comments that followed. _

_Thanks Loganites for your input!_

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

A faint knock on the door of his pantry disturbed Charles' afternoon routine. He was preoccupied with checking the latest wine delivery and making sure everything was in order. He still missed three boxes of the Cabernet Sauvignon he had additionally ordered for Lord Grantham's birthday next Sunday.

"Come in," he called without looking up from the wine ledger and dipping his pen once more into the inkwell to continue with his writing.

The door opened only a crack and to his surprise it was neither one of the kitchenmaids nor the footmen who ventured to disturb him but Lady Mary. "Milady what can I do for you?" he put the pen down and gave her his full attention. Since the girl had turned ten and gotten her own room he had not seen much of her downstairs. She was "grown up" now and had "things to do" she had told him the other day.

The young girl cautiously entered the room with a book in her hands, pressed to her chest as if she was afraid of losing it. "Mr. Carson…" she started, placing one step after another until she stood right in front of his desk. "I was wondering…"

"What were you wondering about, milady?" an amused smile crossed his lips. Lady Mary was never lost for words. In fact, they usually poured out of her and he often had the feeling that she did not even think about what she said. It would have led to awkward situations if she was older but right now she was still young so no one took notice of her outbursts. Aside from him.

She looked down at the book in front of her, turned it in her hands until she placed it on top of his desk. "I got this book as a present from Auntie Rosamund."

Charles reached out and picked it up to read the title. _"Elsie's Holidays at Roselands – Martha Finley". _He had to suppress a grin when he noticed the name of the heroine.

"It's a nice present, milady. Have you had the chance to read it yet?"

Lady Mary bit on her lip and stared at the book on the table. "No I haven't because I wanted to ask you if you could do me a favour Mr. Carson."

He raised his brow in anticipation waiting for the girl to continue although he already had an idea what this favour was all about.

"I'm much too old for this of course but could you read the book to me tonight?" She wrung her little hands and was still staring at the leather bound book.

"Have you asked your father or your mother before you decided to come to me, milady? I know for sure that his Lordship always enjoyed reading to you."

For the first time since she had entered his pantry Lady Mary looked up and into his eyes. "Of course I have!" she blurted out. "He does not mind. He and Mama will be out tonight anyway."

Charles smiled at her. She always wanted to be treated as a grown up and not as a child. Coming downstairs with her new book and asking him to read it to her had surely cost her quite an effort. He opened the book and had a first look at the text to find out what it was about.

_"Elsie, daughter, you are more precious to me than aught else in the wide world, and you need not fear that any other can ever take your place in my heart, or that I will make any connection that would render you unhappy. I want no one to love but my little girl; and you must not let_

_the gossip of the servants disturb you."_

His eyes widened at this passage and he quickly shut the book. If he was going to read this out to Lady Mary tonight he had to make sure they were not in his pantry but preferably in the library and as far away from her sitting room as possible.

"Will you read it, Mr. Carson?" her voice adopted a pleading tone now.

He cleared his throat. "I will think about it milady and give you my answer after dinner."

Lady Mary stomped her feet. "No! Please Mr. Carson!"

Before the girl got one of her famous tantrums, he cast a stern look at her which had the desired effect. She bit her lip once more. "You always make the characters sound so alive when you give them different voices. Papa never does that."

"Thank you for the compliment milady." He stood up to hand the book back to her but Lady Mary shook her head.

"Keep it. You can practise for tonight." She grinned.

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><p><strong>TBC<strong>

****_I will continue this tonight when I'm no longer at work :)_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N Part two as promised this afternoon :)_

_And because I didn't have the time to write this as a one shot there will be one more chapter Sunday evening. Just imagine it to be one shot instead of a three chapter story :)_

_Thanks for the inspiration tumblr!_

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><p>He flipped through the pages and found her name on almost every page. He wondered how he could read it to Lady Mary later without constantly thinking about <em>his <em>Elsie. It was simply impossible! She usually occupied his thoughts all day, more or less, since she had come to Downton two years ago. And even more so since the day she had become housekeeper. Elsie Hughes was the most beautiful and perfect woman he had ever encountered. She was strong willed, efficient, caring, supportive – he could go on with this list forever. His newest additions were lovable, sweet and endearing.

He still could not believe what had happened exactly four weeks ago when they were on their way back from the village towards the estate. The fair had been nice, they had shared some sweets, enjoyed fresh cider, taken care of the younger maids and making sure they did not miss the curfew. It was well past midnight before they both went home, long after they had sent the rest of the staff back to the big house. He had offered her his arm and she confidently accepted it, falling into step beside him. From time to time he had turned his head a bit to steal a glance at her face but made sure she did not notice until their gazes finally met. A shy smile had crossed her face and he unconsciously cleared his throat, trying to get rid of the nervousness that had suddenly come across him. She had looked down at her feet and stopped walking. He knew then that it was not only him who could not stop his mind to daydream about her. Slowly he had reached out and touched her cheek, lifted her chin so that she looked up to him. Their kiss was hesitant at first but soon turned into a sweet and promising one. Instead of the twenty minutes walk it took them more than two hours until they finally reached the back door. They had talked, kissed, held each other, whispered endearments and had decided to give their relationship a try but most of all, to keep it a secret.

ooooo

Charles forced himself to concentrate on the wine delivery again by putting the book aside and out of view into the top drawer of his desk. The missing bottles did not turn up. He even went down to the wine cellar to check the shelves again – without success.

On his way up the stairs he almost ran into her. "Oh I'm sorry Mrs. Hughes." His hand lingered on her shoulder a bit too long and the smile on his face was a bit too obvious.

"Are you still looking for the missing crates of wine?" her fingers touched his hand.

"They were supposed to arrive with today's delivery and I have no alternative selection for his Lordships birthday dinner this weekend." They stood on top of the stairs and stood a few steps to close. "Either we change the menu or I have to send one of the footmen to Ripon to buy some bottles there."

A housemaid passed both of them and Charles automatically stepped back a few inches.

"We cannot change the menu on such short notice Mr. Carson. You better send one of the boys over." Her smile warmed his heart and what she said next, made it jump. "Will I see you tonight?"

But then he remembered his promise to Lady Mary and sighed. "I'm afraid I have some additional duties tonight that require my full attention." The questioning look on her face did not make it easier. "Lady Mary asked me to read to her tonight from a new book she got as a present."

The typical snort escaped from her mouth. "The girl is old enough to read the book herself."

He silenced her protest immediately. "I am aware of that but you should have seen her. Besides, it's only tonight."

She just shook her head and without a further comment turned around to go upstairs.

ooooo

Dinner was a quite affair because only the three young ladies attended, chaperoned by their grandmother. Charles did not even need the footmen. He managed perfectly well without them. The only problem was one particular young Lady who unladylike wriggled about on her chair trying to look at him at any given opportunity.

"Mary, sit still!" her grandmother warned her and Charles could see the frown on the young girls face. His evening would certainly be more stressful than a four course dinner with twenty guests to serve. A young girl full of anticipation was difficult to handle. He knew that from firsthand experience and was not even thinking about Elsie but about the younger Lady Mary who had always managed to have her will.

Soon after dinner when he was still occupied with organizing the smooth removal of dirty dishes and not eaten food, a little hand tugged at his tailcoat. Lady Mary had sneaked into the china closet at the back of the large dining room.

"Mr. Carson how long do you have to work tonight?" two brown eyes looked up to him awaiting a positive answer.

He carefully put away the large soup tureen and kneeled down. "It will still take a while milady. Why don't you ask your grandmother if you could wait for me in the library?"

"She won't let me because it's already late." The angry look on her face made her look more mature than she was. She perfected it by raising a single eyebrow. "Can you talk to her?"

With difficulty he stood up again and adjusted his livery. "Milady it is not in my position to request that from her Ladyship. May I remind you that you are already ten and are capable of asking her yourself?"

She pouted her lips. "I thought you would do everything for me, Mr. Carson."

"I do, milady but there are a few things you should learn to do yourself." One little foot stamped on the carpet and an angry little girl left the china closet.

"Now that should teach her a lesson," her voice appeared out of nowhere and Charles spun around only to find her standing in the doorway to the staircase that led to the kitchen. "So you would do everything for her? Isn't that an unfulfillable promise?"

"I promised you the same, remember?"

The smile she gave him as an answer was enough to make his heart beat a bit faster than usual. "To avoid that the young lady has to wait even longer I thought I'd give you a hand."

ooooo

He took the book out of his drawer as soon as she had left his pantry to take care of the hustle and bustle in the kitchen. A look at the engraved golden lettering on the board almost made him put the book right back into the depths of his desk. Who was that woman that had chosen to name her heroine _Elsie_ ? There were so many more common names she could have used.

The clock on the mantelpiece chimed nine. He had to hurry up before her Ladyship decided it would be too late for Lady Mary to be still in the library instead of in her room. He grabbed the book and hastily made his way upstairs unaware of the pair of blue eyes that followed his every move.

The young girl lay prone on one of the red chaise lounges, her head resting on her folded hands and an illustrated copy of "The Birds of Britain" in front of her. She looked up when Charles entered the library and quietly closed the large oak door.

"See, granny let me stay up longer." She closed the book but remained in the unladylike position.

"Then you should thank her milady." He chose to sit down in one of the red velvet armchairs next to the chaise lounge.

"Did you practise?" she eagerly asked.

Charles opened the book and turned the pages until he found the beginning of the first chapter. "I'm afraid I had no time to prepare the story, milady."

"Well, that's not a problem. Can we start?" she rested her head on her hands when Charles cleared his throat one more time and began to read.

The first page was uneventful because he had already read that but the more pages he turned and the more often that name appeared in the text the harder it was for him to concentrate on the actual storyline. Whenever the letters _Elsie _popped up his mind was envisioning the real Elsie in various situations. Some of them as uneventful as the ones in the book but others too revealing to be banished from his thoughts the moment they appeared. Sometimes he hesitated a bit too long before he read on and Lady Mary would remind him what he was actually doing with an irritated look on her face.

"Mr. Carson you should have practised more," she scolded him.

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><p><em>Carson will probably embarrass himself soon if he has to read more...<em>


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N the final chapter of this little tumblr inspired fanfiction :) Thanks for all your reviews so far! Have fun reading (it's AU and OOC but... no regrets)_

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><p>He somehow managed to read the first chapter without getting too distracted and was hoping to be done with reading for tonight but when he looked up from the last page two begging brown eyes looked at him.<p>

Charles had a quick look at the large grandfather clock in the corner of the library. Ten minutes past ten, much too late for the young girl to be still up. "Milady, you should go to bed now."

"No! It was only one chapter and I want to know what happens next. Please Mr. Carson!"

He thought his voice had been insistent enough to match her fathers when he tried to convince the little girl to abide by the rules that came with an aristocratic title. But obviously he was incapable of talking to Lady Mary like that (whereas he had no problems at all to make his voice sound stern and insistent when talking to the male staff). Reading one more chapter meant more encounters with the name, more images in his head he had to cope with and probably a very vivid dream later. He reluctantly opened the book again and started to read out the first sentences of the second chapter.

_"There comes forever something between us and what we deem our happiness." _

These words made him think for a few seconds and he wished he had the possibility to grasp their full meaning but again Lady Mary's pleading voice urged him to go on. So he more or less stumbled through the text, forgetting to change his voice whenever "Elsie" talked, causing Lady Mary to let out several irritated sighs.

"You're not taking this seriously Mr. Carson." She adjusted her position on the chaise lounge. "Why do you read it all in your own voice?"

Charles eyes were fixed on the passage he had last read, the name _Elsie _staring at him. "I'm sorry milady?" He had not listened to what the girl had just said.

"This is no fun." She pouted.

He closed the book and put it aside on the small table next to him. "It is now half past ten, milady. You better go to bed." This time she would not make a fuss, he was sure of it. He had disappointed her and whenever that happened, Lady Mary held a grudge for at least one day. Sure, he was sorry that he could not concentrate on the book at all. Usually it was as much fun for him to read to her as it was for her to listen. But tonight, and especially with this book, he stood no chance of making it a pleasure for both of them.

ooooo

Elsie had remained as quiet as possible. When she had not found him in his pantry after returning from the kitchen, she had gone upstairs to look for him. She knew he had this little arrangement with Lady Mary tonight but it was worth a try to see if he had already finished reading to the girl. When she was about to enter the library through the hidden servant's entrance he heard his voice. It sounded so soft when he carefully gave the different characters a face by adjusting his low baritone accordingly.

Instead of entering the library she decided to remain by the door and listen. When he said her name for the first time she smiled, thinking it was just a coincidence. A very nice one though. But when she realized that _Elsie _obviously was the main character name's she paid even more attention to his voice. He pronounced her name in a different way compared to the rest of the words he read out. More carefully, softer. Sometimes he hesitated a second too long before he resumed reading. Then he stopped reading and she heard Lady Mary complain about it. She decided to go downstairs and wait for him in his pantry. He had a new story to tell as soon as he had finished reading.

ooooo

The clock chimed eleven when he went down the main staircase from the first floor bedrooms. Lady Mary had decided to finally go to sleep but it had taken him another thirty minutes to make her stop pouting. When he had left the girl's room she had curled up on one side of the bed, her eyes tightly shut pretending to sleep.

With a deep sigh, Charles opened the door to the servant's staircase and walked down the last few steps towards his pantry. A faint glow spilled underneath the door. At least the other woman was not angry with him, he thought and a smile crossed his face. Carefully and slowly he opened the door.

She sat in his armchair and he could only see the top of her head above the high backrest. "Elsie?" he softly called her name and it felt different to the many times he had used it before tonight. This was _his_ Elsie now, not a fictional character from a book. She was real. Her head moved a bit but she did not stand up. He moved around the chair only to see an open book on her lap.

"Don't tell me you got this book from the library?" he eyed her suspiciously. He had left Lady Mary's book on the table when he brought the girl upstairs. Could she possibly taken it and read in it?

She looked at him briefly, eyebrows slightly raised, then turned her attention back to the book. He still stood before her when her soft voice began to read the first paragraph.

_"Elsie, daughter, you are more precious to me than aught else in the wide world, and you need not fear that any other can ever take your place in my heart, or that I will make any connection that would render you unhappy. I want no one to love but my little girl; and you must not let_

_the gossip of the servants disturb you."_

She closed the book and looked up to him again. "Do I have a place in your heart?" she asked softly.

He was lost for words for a few seconds. His hand nervously combed through his hair before he kneeled down in front of her. "It belongs only to you."

Her hand caressed his cheek and she placed a soft kiss on his forehead. "You are more romantic than I thought." A chuckle followed and he took both her hands and helped her out of his chair.

"I didn't know I was until tonight. You have seen the book, read in it I believe." He drew her into an embrace so that her head rested on his chest.

"To be honest, I heard you read it out to Lady Mary."

He placed a kiss on top of her head. "Then you know how difficult it was for me to do the little girl this favour."

She raised her head to look into his eyes. "I don't actually. But I would if you read it to me."

He knew by the look on her face that Elsie was teasing him but he would, only this once, play along. "Would you mind if we go over to your sitting room and share your settee?"

She did not and lead the way, holding his hand while doing so and resting her head on his shoulder as soon as they had settled down on the soft seat. Charles opened the book and began to read, kissing the top of her head eyes every time he spoke her name. When he reached the third page he decided to kiss her forehead and at the end of the first chapter his lips found her mouth, sealing it with a passionate kiss.

**The End**

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><p><em>This is what happens if you give Charles Carson a book to read... What would happen if he gets the Sonnets from Shakespeare?<em>


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